Florence, AZ – The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project has launched a pilot universal representation model to provide free, merits-blind legal representation to people in immigration detention facing deportation, regardless of their demographics, legal claims, or other factors.
“Throughout our 36-year history, the Florence Project has not only responded with innovation to an ever-changing immigration landscape, but we have also remained steadfast in proactively advancing our mission and vision,” said Lillian Aponte Miranda, Florence Project Executive Director. “By launching this proof-of-concept pilot, we are taking a tangible and significant step toward the future we envision: one where every person experiencing immigration detention in Arizona is represented. Now, more than ever, it is critical to act on our vision of a fair and humane immigration system, and we are proud to be launching this pilot, despite the immense obstacles both we and the people we serve currently face.”
This pilot project is a small-scale, proof-of-concept model that we can execute today with the resources that we currently have and build into a true universal representation system in the future. This pilot will equitably and randomly select participants periodically and will offer all selected and eligible participants full representation for the duration of their detained removal proceedings before the immigration court. We will alternate between the Eloy and Florence immigration courts and rotate among all immigration judges in those courts. Through this pilot, every person from each selected docket will have an attorney by their side.
The Florence Project’s whole adult program is involved in making this a reality, and as we have planned the launch of this initiative alongside funding cuts, increased detention, and attacks on asylum and the immigration legal system, we have responded nimbly by restructuring our team to advance our vision and best serve as many people as possible in immigration detention here in Arizona.
“This launch is truly a team effort and a testament to our staff, who are undeterred in their dedication and determination to protect the rights of immigrants in the face of unprecedented challenges,” Aponte Miranda added. “It is a small pilot but a huge step in advancing our vision of a world in which every person has a fair day in court, which can only truly be achieved with counsel by their side.”